Summary
Inan interview in 2005,Harry Pottercreator J.K. Rowling explained that a character as fearsome and evil as Voldemort is guided by a very human fear at the core: “Voldemort’s fear is death, ignominious death. He thinks that it’s a shameful human weakness, as you know.” This is demonstrated throughout the series, when he goes to great lengths to prolong his life or even become immortal. From splitting his soul into seven pieces to acquiring the Elder Wand, Voldemort “went beyond normal evil” to gain power and, hence, conquer death.
Although death is a prominent theme in theHarry Potterseries, it only makes a brief (yet sudden and disturbing) appearance in the first installment. AfterLily Potter sacrifices her lifeto save her son, Voldemort’s Killing Curse rebounds and seemingly obliterates his body. He spends the next decade in a form that is “less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost”, until he finally meets Quirinus Quirrell in Albania, who can help him restore his body. This is the first time Voldemort is seen cheating death, and the fact that he relies on unicorn blood to preserve his life sets up the story’s theme of how achieving immortality comes with undesirable consequences.
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What Does Unicorn Blood Do?
According toFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, unicorns are one of the worst-kept secrets of the wizarding world as they are commonly associated with magic in the Muggle world. Similar to how they are generally depicted in modern fantasy, unicorns in theHarry Potterlore are described as pure and powerful creatures. They possess potent magical properties: the hair from their tail has been named as one of the ‘Supreme Cores’ of wands by the famed wand-maker, Garrick Ollivander, and their horn is often used as an ingredient in certain potions (such as the Antidote to Common Poisons). The blood of a unicorn, however, is far more valuable — which is why slaying a unicorn is considered a “monstrous” act. Thick and silver-blue in color, a unicorn’s blood can grant one immortality, even if they are “an inch from death”. However, as the drinker has killed a defenseless creature for this purpose, they will be forced to live “a half-life, a cursed life”, from the moment the unicorn’s blood touches their lips. While it is unclear what this involves, the severity of the repercussions is constantly highlighted in the series: “The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive […] but at a terrible price.”
InHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Death Eater Peter Pettigrew also uses unicorn blood (along with venom from Nagini, Voldemort’s snake) to concoct a potion that would create a rudimentary body for his master’s dismembered soul, enabling him to travel and perform magic to some extent until he fully regains his powers.Voldemort’s “almost human form”has the shape of a “crouched human child”, but with a snake-like face, red eyes, and scaly, reddish-black skin. As this is an indirect use of unicorn blood, it is unclear whether it has the same repercussions as consuming it directly (although that is likely to be the case).
Why Does Voldemort Drink Unicorn Blood?
InHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Nicolas Flamel asks his friend Albus Dumbledore to hide theruby-red Sorcerer’s Stoneat Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for safety. A weak Voldemort, whose fragmented soul haslatched onto Professor Quirrell’s body, spends the entire school year attempting to steal the stone so he could create the Elixir of Life and, thus, attain immortality. In the meantime, however, he orders Quirrell to kill unicorns and drink their blood so he could gain strength and power.
When Harry, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy are sent to the Forbidden Forest one night (as detention), they accompany Rubeus Hagrid in his search for an injured unicorn as traces of its spilled blood have been spotted. Hagrid also shares with the students that he discovered a dead unicorn just a week earlier, which means “there’s something bad loose in this forest”. The group splits into two, and Harry and Draco eventually stumble upon a hooded figure (Quirrell/Voldemort) drinking blood from a unicorn’s corpse. Just as the figure advances towards Harry, a centaur named Firenze arrives, causing him to flee. When Firenze explains to Harry afterward that “only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime”, Harry questions who could be that desperate: “If you’re going to be cursed forever, death’s better, isn’t it?” However, as Firenze reminds him, only Voldemort, who has always “clung to life”, can be capable of such an act. Having created multiple Horcruxes, his soul is unable to sustain itself — plus taking over his body drastically weakens Quirrell too. Hence, they resort to preying on creatures as sacred as unicorns for survival.
